Crockpot Classic Beef Stew

I was craving some beef stew now that Fall is here, & it has been such a long time since I have actually made beef stew that I decided to look up some recipes. I remembered I wanted to try boeuf bourguignon, but decided not to because I don’t like mushrooms, even though this recipe is pretty darn near a boeuf bourguignon. I was intrigued by the tomato paste & red wine, so I decided to give it a go, tweaking it just a tad. This recipe was pretty robust! The beef is supremely tender, the gravy was nice & thick, & the potatoes & carrots make it nice & hearty. The tomato paste, wine & thyme make it really flavorful. The more bites I took, the more I decided I really liked it! If you don’t have a great stew recipe, give this a try. I think it’s quite unique, even though it’s a classic dish.

Crockpot Classic Beef Stew

Ingredients

2lbstop round beef/steak, cubed (or bottom round if it's cheaper, but for some reason the stew meat was ridiculously expensive & this nicer cut was on sale.)

1/2cupall-purpose flour

1/4cupolive oil, more if needed

2medium onions, diced

2-3clovesgarlic, minced

16oz can tomato paste

1cupred cooking wine

2-3small/medium potatoes, large diced

1/2lbbaby carrots

2cupsbeef broth

1Tbspkosher salt

1tspdried thyme leaves

Kosher salt & black pepper, as needed

Instructions

Coat cubed beef in flour. Heat half of olive oil in a large skillet. Brown half of the meat mixture, seasoning with kosher salt & black pepper as it is in the pan. Transfer to a 6-qt slow cooker. Repeat with remaining oil & beef, seasoning well. (I had to split my stew up in two crockpots because I don't have a 6-qt slow cooker, just 4-qt & 2-qt.)

Add onions to the same skillet, season with kosher salt & pepper, & cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste & coat the onions; transfer to the crockpot.

Pour wine into the skillet & scrape up any browned bits; add to the crockpot.

Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, & thyme. Cover & cook on low heat for 7½ hours, or on high for 4 hours. Serve with fresh rolls, or crusty bread to soak up the gravy.